We invited the twittersphere to tweet questions to Ryan Serhant using #AskRyanSerhant, and this is what emerged — with Ryan’s advice added.
1. @GBPackers_Lass asks: Are the properties always so modern? Do you have wealthy clients looking for old-world charm?
Good question. Obviously, anything that’s built new is not going to have old-world charm, which is why the classic prewar buildings on 5th, Madison and Park avenues are so expensive.
Many of my clients who buy in New York want to feel like they’re in New York when they’re here.
[Tweet “You can’t get a prewar limestone building on Central Park anywhere else but Manhattan.”]
2. @IanSimpsonLDN asks: Do you believe exercise promotes your work ethic? Is so, do you follow a strict diet routine?
Yes. Yes. Yes. [Tweet “Exercise is integral to a healthy mind more than anything. “]
I work out every morning for an hour before anyone else wakes up. I also eat as healthy as I can, but within reason.
I don’t weigh my food or count calories, but I believe what my mom told me when I was little, “You are what you eat, so if you want to look like a doughnut, keep eating them.”
I need so much energy to get through my days, where I might have 30 or 40 appointments. Exercise and a strong diet keep me going. Otherwise, I think I’d be dead.
3. @JBaronello asks: How did you start generating so much business when you started out as a Realtor?
I didn’t. I made $8,000 my first year. I still have my tax return to prove it. [Tweet “I didn’t take a single day off — not one — for the first three years in the business.”]
I also made a conscious effort to focus 70 percent of my day on new business. Too many brokers spend all day running around like a chicken and then wonder why they’re not growing.
I have a mandate with myself, and everyone on my team, to meet at least five new people every single day. We get their phone numbers, email addresses and home addresses to add them to the mailing list.
I make sure to milk every listing we have, every deal and every client. Advertising is dead, and PR is everything. So you have to be your own mayor. The only people who will reach out to you are the people who know you exist, so I believe in shameless self-promotion, and so should you. Why not?
Tune into the season finale of “Million Dollar Listing New York” Wednesday, 9/8 p.m. central.
Ryan Serhant is a licensed associate real estate broker at Nest Seekers International. You can follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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